10 games for your new smartphone or tablet
Smartphones and tablets have made its owners more productive and in touch with the digital world, but they can be a lot of fun, too.
Among the most popular app categories are games. According to Apple's iTunes charts, 5 of the top 10 free apps and 7 of the top 10 paid apps are games.
Get a new smartphone or tablet for Christmas? Here are 10 games to consider, in alphabetical order. Some of these are free, while others are for pay, but prices may vary since many developers are hosting holiday sales.
1. Angry Birds Star Wars (iOS, Android, Windows). Players fling a variety of supercharged birds from a galaxy far, far away. Birds weird Jedi powers and lightsabers as they try and knock down structured by a band of mean pigs.
2. Candy Crush Saga (iOS, Android). This year's hot puzzle game requires players to line up a minimum of three candies to clear each stage. Special perks like the Candy Bomb can help drive up your score.
3. Colossatron (iOS, Android). Players control a Godzilla-like robotic snake terrorizing cities. With simple swipes, they fuse new parts to the creature to make him bigger and more powerful. Developers Halfbrick boast a solid rep as a mobile game designer, thanks to earlier hits Fruit Ninja and Jetpack Joyride.
4. Dots (iOS, Android). This stripped-down puzzle game features rows of dots, and players must join as many as they can with each turn. Draw a square and clear out all dots of the same color. Players can either pick timed levels or levels with a limited number of moves and go for the highest score.
5. Infinity Blade III (iOS). For the more devoted video game fan comes this gorgeous fantasy game where players must battle an army of Deathless titans. The game boast simple touch controls and countless items to collect, including swords, shields and armor.
6. Plants vs. Zombies 2 (iOS, Android). Players fend off zombie hordes by dropping superpowered plants ranging from pea shooters to brawling bok choy.
7. Ridiculous Fishing (iOS, Android). Players try to dive as deep into the water as possible, snagging as many underwater creatures on the way using items such as toasters or chainsaws. Once they go above water, players quickly shoot as many fish out of the sky to max out their point total.
8. The Simpsons Tapped Out (iOS, Android). Manage your very own Springfield, featuring characters such as Homer, Marge, Ned Flanders and The Comic Book Guy. Regular, free updates feature themes tied to events such as Halloween and Christmas.
9. Tiny Death Star (iOS, Android). If running a town isn't interesting, what about managing the Empire's epic space station? Players find residents to live on the Death Star and put them to work, earning money to make the floating superweapon even stronger.
10. XCOM: Enemy Unknown (iOS). It's pricier compared to the average mobile game, but players can expect an experience rivaling consoles. The turn-based strategy game originally launched on PC, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 has players working for an undercover agency responsible for protecting Earth from an alien threat.
Follow Brett Molina on Twitter: @bam923.